Apple announces a new Apple Watch SE

Apple has announced a new Apple Watch SE. An upgrade to the original SE, the new smartwatch is the second generation of the company’s entry-level, cellular-capable model. The new SE will cost $249 for the GPS model and $299 for the cellular model, a $30 price drop from the original SE. The Apple Watch SE will be available starting September 16th.

The new SE will support the crash detection feature announced on the Series 8 and will be up to 20 percent faster than the first-gen SE thanks to a new S8 chip, the same chip found in the Series 8. It also has the same motion sensors as Series 8. The new SE will be available in silver, midnight, and starlight colors and has new color-matched back cases.

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

The SE will also support international roaming by pairing with an iPhone’s roaming plan. It retains all the standard features of the original SE — a Retina OLED display, optical heart rate sensor, fall detection, emergency SOS, and water resistance up to 50 meters.

The cellular version of the SE is popular with parents looking for a way to communicate with school-aged children without committing to an iPhone, and Apple announced that the new SE will work with Apple’s Family Setup feature, which debuted with the SE.

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

This lets you set up an Apple Watch SE using a parent or caregiver’s iPhone. But then, the device can act independently. That feature wasn’t available on the less expensive Apple Watch Series 3. The new SE also has a 30 percent larger screen than the Series 3.

Since its launch two years ago, the Apple Watch SE has been a good option for those looking for a more budget-friendly wearable to pair with their iPhone. You sacrifice some higher-end features found on the premium models, such as the always-on display and the new temperature sensor. But you save some cash.

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